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tv   U.S. Senate  CSPAN  December 17, 2012 5:00pm-8:00pm EST

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in the exchange with senator durbin. i want to express my deepest condolences on behalf of all the people of maryland to the 20 students who lost their lives, the six adults at the hand of a single shooter at sandy hook elementary school in you intown, connecticut. it's heartbreaking to listen to the stories of innocent lives cut cruelly short. the pain and grief of the families and friends of these students and teachers are unimaginable. i just want to echo some of the comments that senator durbin made and senator leahy made. we know that the teachers and the aides put their life on the line in order to try to save children. the unbelievable task of the first responders coming to the scene, not knowing what they would find, we send our prayers to all. this is a tragedy beyond words,
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and i think president obama said it best last night that our hearts are broken. but as senator durbin has said and senator leahy, i particularly want to thank you, we need to take action. congress needs to come together and take action to protect the safety of our children. we must do better. there have been too many episodes in which children's lives and others have been lost that we must figure out ways to do things, to act to prevent these types of tragedies. this conversation must include a discussion about the culture of violence that preemanates our culture today, including the glorification of violence to our children and young adults. we see too much of this violence and it has to have an impact on young children. we need to know how we can responsibly deal with this
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circumstance. must include a discussion of the mental health services provided to americans, including our students. many of us have talked about this in the past. we have to be more aggressive in dealing with the mental health needs of all the people in our community. and as chairman leahy pointed out, we must discuss the issue about the ready access of individuals to weapons. now, i know there are different views in this congress. i must tell you, i don't understand why we need to allow access to military-style assault weapons and ammunition. i strongly support senator feinstein's effort to reinstate the expired 1994 ban on assault weapons, including a ban on ammunition magazines that hold more than ten rounds. senator durbin has raised a very valid point. we regulate automobiles, we
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regulate consumer products, we regulate a lot -- as we should for public safety. and we should regulate firearms for public safety reasons. there's no need for assault weapons to be held by the public. in my view, there's no legitimate reason for a civilian to possess a military-style weapon or to have large-capacity ammunition clips. congress should also examine whether we can strengthen our background check system for gun buyers along with criminal penalties for those who illegally purchase or transfer guns. we need to take a look at safety locks for children. we need to look at those who have multiple purchases. we need to look at the gun show purchases. all these i think we should examine to see whether we cannot make our communities safer without infringing upon the legitimate right of individuals to possess guns, sportsmen to be able to use guns for hunting.
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i think all that obviously will be protected, but we can do a much better job in protecting public safety. we've talked about this before and we need to act. we need to act in a comprehensive way to make our society safer. and i pledge to the chairman of the judiciary committee. i've had the honor of serving on that committee for four years. he's an extremely fair leader. he believes in letting all sides be heard. and i very much appreciate his commitment in so many different areas that have dealt with public safety, and we have great confidence in his leadership on that committee and other committees of the united states senate need to act as it relates to the safety of our children. mr. president, i would now ask if i could -- i will be speaking on the supplemental appropriations, that that would appear separate in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: i know we have pending the supplemental appropriation bill and i would urge my colleagues to act on this as quickly as we can.
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sandy was a devastating storm. eight million people without power, over 100 deaths, including seven in the state of maryland. maryland was hit hard, not as hard as new jersey or new york, and our prayers go out to all the communities that have been affected. but maryland was hit pretty hard. we had sustained winds for hour after hour after hour after hour. we had rainfall records -- nine inches. we had storm surges of seven-feet waves. we had flooding on the eastern shore of maryland. we had a storm in the western part of our state that dumped -- dropped 30 inches of wet snow. so we suffered from the -- the flooding on the eastern shore and the storms in western maryland. many of the communities were people who live below poverty are elderly. senator mikulski was just on the floor and talked about the circumstances in the city of
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crisfield n. that city. in that city, 32% of the population live blo live below e poverty level. 71% sustained water damage. waterman, which is one of the major industries for that community, found that they were literally unable to work and they're still unclear as to what's going to happen to their crops. so we have a serious problem. give you just two examples of people who lived through this, the storm, in c ri sfield. mary, who lived in an apartment with cody, her trained medical dog. mary suffered from epileptic seizures and cody serves as her lifeline when these seizures occur. mary has no family in the area. she cannot work due to her disability. her own source of income is a small social security check. well, when hurricane sandy hit crisfield, the water rose rapidly in her apartment, mary was forced to grab cody and nothing else and to jump out of
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the window and swim to safety. she lost all of her belongings, including all of her records, which might be helpful for her to be able to try to get benefits that she's entitled to. she's now in temporary housing at a local motel paying $60 a night, which she cannot afford, until she can qualify for the assistance. in the -- in an area that has a high number of low-income elderly persons, federal assistance is needed to help deserving senior citizens with this storm. then there's diane, who also lives in crisfield, with her family in her childhood home. according to diane, she has weathered many storms over the years but never in her lifetime has she ever seen the water rise so high and so quickly. inundating the first floor of other home and creating huge whitecaps around her neighborhood. diane decided to ride out the storm in her home, fearing the possibility of drowning if she left. the family lost all their possessions, with housing vouchers tha they are now livinn
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temporary housing. a church group gutted her home but she still needs building materials in order to be able to rebuild her home. she doesn't have the resources to do that. she needs federal assistance in order to get her life back in order. they are just two stories, and i could give you numerous others, in the state of maryland. on the western part of our state in garrett county. garrett county is a community of 30,000. 15,000 homes were without power. that's just about every home. trees fell everywhere. this is a remote appalachian community where people were isolated because of the storm. they need help. they need partners. i want to congratulate governor o'malley and our state leaders, our country leaders. fema did a great job. i want to thank the red cross and other private-sector groups. but now it's time for the federal government to act as a true partner. i thank president obama for the disaster declaration for our state, including individual relief for the county of somerset. this legislation strengthens the
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federal partnership. it provides the resources so that we can help people that have been devastated by the storm, like mary and diane. it will provide the resources necessary so they can put their lives back together. i'll particularly note the $17 billion for cdbg funds. that's flexible funds that will help people like mary and diane so that they can get their life back together. i also want to point out how important it is for the mitigation funds that are in the supplemental appropriation. that will allow us to build to prevent this type of damage in the future. for those who may question the feasibility of this type of investment, let me just point to one in maryland, assateague eyes lanisland. we widened and put more beach down on assateague island. it was kind of pricey, many people thought, but it acted as a buffer for sandy coming in and causing more damage in ocean city. literally, millions of dollars were saved because of assateague
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island acting as a bumper to the storm. mitigation is important and we should invest in mitigation. the next step should be the passage of the supplemental appropriation bill. i've heard many of my colleagues come to the floor who represent states who are directly affected. i have listened, as my colleagues around the nation have talked about disasters in their community, and we've always come together as a nation. i know we're in the last days of this legislative session. i just urge my colleagues to let us move this bill forward now. let's get it done so the federal government can be there to help the communities that have been affected by this storm. it's the right thing to do and i hope my colleagues will support that effort. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nominations, the judiciary. fernando m. olguin of california to be united states district judge for the central district
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of california. thomas m. dirk kin oun to be dit judge for the northern district of districtof illinois: the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be 30 minutes of debate equally divided. the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: originally we had a vote planned for 5:30. if there's no objection, i would ask that the time be divided between now and 5:30 in the normal fashion and the votes be at 5:30. the presiding officer: is there objection? seeing and hearing no objection. mr. leahy: and, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent in behalf of senator inouye that karen carrington and mike hansen, leblg laiflegislative fellows do the committee on appropriations, be granted privileges of the floor during the fiscal year 2013 disaster assistance supplemental. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: and, mr. president, just so senators will know, it is my understanding the first
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nominee, fernando olguin of california, will be a voice vo vote. and the second one for mr. dirkin will be a roll call vote, which i understand from the senator from iowa, which is, of course, perfectly acceptable to the democratic side. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: would it be appropriate if i ask for a roll call vote on judge dirkin? presiding officer: the senator is correct mr. grassley: i ask for a roll call vote. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. grassley: i won't use my entire time, so if anybody else wants to speak, there will be time between now and 5:30 to speak. i think both -- both of these
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nominees will be approved overwhelmingly. obviously the one with a voice vote probably will be. and i think the other one will be as well. today, the senate turns to the confirmation of these two united states district judges. before i address that issue, i express my condolences to the victims and family in newtown, connecticut. as a nation, we join together to express our grief and to offer support and comfort to this community. our thoughts and prayers are with families who have suffered from this senseless act. from time to time, i've given my colleagues an update regarding the facts of judicial confirmations. and despite our steady progress on confirmations, we continue to hear complaints from bar associations, interest groups, editorial boards, and even some
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fellow senators. of course, these are the same groups that remain silent or at the time cheered on the efforts to block judicial nominees of the previous president. multiple filibusters, failures to hold hearings, pocket filibusters of one sort or another, and other tactics of delay and obstruction were routinely used against prech's nominees. by the end of his presidency, president bush had 53 nominees that were not confirmed. that is, nearly 1 out of 7 that were blocked. somehow history seems to have faded. today we continue to confirm this president's nominees. even in a lame-duck presidential election year. as i stated before, the senate rarely confirms judicial nominees during lame-duck
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sessions in a presidential election year. it did so on a very limited fashion in 1944,1980 and the year 2004. the last time a president was reelected, president bush in 2004, only three judicial nominees were confirmed following the election. that year, following president bush's re-election, 23 judicial nominations that were pending either on the senate executive calendar or in the judiciary committee were returned to the president when the congress adjourned in december. today, president obama will have ten confirmations in this lame duck session, and obviously a lame duck session in a presidential election year. this is a new record. no other president can claim
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that success. so for those who say that this president is being treated differently, i must agree. president obama will have the most post-election judicial confirmations of any president. this year has been a productive year for judicial confirmations. we have already confirmed 39 district judges and five circuit judges. today's vote meets or exceeds the confirmations for presidential election years in recent memory. during the last presidential election year, 2008, the senate confirmed a total of 28 judges, 24 district and four circuit. this presidential election year, we have exceeded those numbers. we have confirmed five circuit nominees, and these confirmations will bring the district confirmations to 41. that is a total of 46 judges this year versus 28 in the last
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presidential election year. in fact, going back to 1984, there has been only one presidential election year in which more district judges were confirmed. so let me emphasize that point. in only one of the past presidential elections have more district nominees been confirmed. during this congress, the 112th, we have confirmed 106 judges. that is the third highest total for any congress going back to 1989 or, in other words, the past 12 congresses. in total, the senate has confirmed 168 district and circuit nominees during this president's first term, so i think by any objective measure, one would have to conclude that we're treating this president and his nominees quite fairly. now, i just stated at the beginning of my remarks, i
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expect these nominees to be fairly noncontroversial or totally noncontroversial. i intend to support them, and instead of going through their background, i am going to put that in the record. i ask unanimous consent. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: and i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:
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quorum call:
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quorum call:
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quorum call:
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quorum call: the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, i rise with a real heavy heart. our friend dan unowe way just
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died. -- our friend dan inouye just died. i have a never known anyone like deign owe way. no one else has. like dan inouye. no one else has. the kindness that he has shown for my time here in the senate is something i will cherish always. a man who has lived and breathed the senate. if there were ever a patriot, dan inouye was that patriot. a week ago -- a week ago last friday, he and i spent some time together in his office, just the two of us alone. we spent an hour together. and we ended the meeting by saying, you know -- w we both said, we need to do this again. but i won't be able do it again.
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he won't be able do it again. a wonderful senator, brave soldier, recipient of the medal of honor, distinguished service cross, bronze star, purple hea heart, left an arm in italy. a. as he said to me that last meeting we had together, "anything other than the arm?" i got shot in the arm and in the leg a couple times sm. we will all miss him, and that's a gross understatement. i wish i were capable of saying more, but i -- that's all i can
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say is that i've talked to his wife irene. she's there with his son, and i've known for a few hours that this wasn't working out well with senator inouye. but he is certainly one of the giants of the senate. remember what he said. he told his son when asked why he fought the way he did after having been declared an enemy alien, he said, he did it for the children. that's senator inouye. his commitment to our nation will never be surpassed. his service in the senate will be with the greats of this body.
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now, i could ask my friend if he wishes to speak on this issue. it would be my hope that the two votes that are scheduled, that we could do both of these judges by voice vote. i don't think it's appropriate to have a recorded vote at this time. so i'd ask unanimous consent that the two judges be approved by voice. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: and i would, mr. president -- i think we all at a subsequent time will -- may i just talk to his wife, who walked out here. and i will have some more formal remarks at a later time. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i, too, am going to address the remarkable life of senator inouye at a later time, but i did want to make some observations here just for a few moments at the time of his passing.
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he was a man who, as we all know, rarely called attention to himself but who lived a remarkable american life filled with dignity and grace of the true hero that he was. only 17 when he heard the sirens over honolulu and saw the great planes flying overhead. at the time he dreamed of being a surgeon. a few years later a medic would be taking care of him after his heroic actions in the italian mountains for which he would one day receive our nation's most prestigious award for military valor. dan inouye's dream of being a surgeon was not realized, but there were other things in store. instead he became a member of one of the most decorated u.s. military units in american history and one of our nation's longest-serving and finest senators.
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an iconic political figure of his beloved hawaii and the only original member of a congressional delegation still serving in congress, he was a man who had every reason to call attention to himself but who never did. he was the kind of man, in short, that america has always been grateful to have. especially in her darkest hours, men who lead by example and who expect nothing in return. mr. reid: mr. president, i -- the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: yes, i didn't mention -- i should have, but i'm really -- have been waiting the last hour or so to make sure that it was okay with his wife that i came here and said something, so i haven't had time to do much other than feel bad about senator inouye.
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as i indicated, i talked to irene. i wasn't able to talk to ken, but i did talk to irene. i want to make sure that everyone understands the depth of my feelings -- i'm speaking for the entire senate. he believed in me more than i believed in myself, many, many years ago, a couple decades ago, he said, you know, you're going to do great things in the senate, always talked about my leading the senate, and he always came and said,, oh, always -- you did the right thing by telling you that you did the right thing. the chapter of inouye in the senate is something that is remarkable. not only his military record but what he did with the defense aspects of our country, the security aspects of this country.
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and there was no one more bipartisan than senator inouye. he had -- he has a brother at that lives in las vegas and a wonderful person he is. but he was as close to ted stevens as he was to any person -- that any person could be to a brother. they were brothers. they called themselves brothers. so he set an example always about bipartisanship, about working with others, and, as far as being a good member of our caucus, no one was better than he was. no one has been a better american than senator inouye. and when we talk about people in hawaii who they revere, it's senator inouye. and it's really -- the state of hawaii is going through a great deal this time. senator akaka has announced his
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retirement, and now the death of senator inouye. so i, on behalf of all the senators, express my appreciation for his service and his friendship. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:
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the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: i ask that further reading of the quorum call be suspended and i be recognized for a few minutes as if in morning business. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. mccain: i withdraw by my unanimous consent request at the command of our leader.
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quorum call:
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quorum call:
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the presiding officer: the. mr. reid. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. on the previous question, the previous order, the question is on the nomination. all those in favor say aye. mr. reid: aye. the presiding officer: all those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the issue is on the durkin nomination. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motions to reconsider are made
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and laid upon the table. the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate will resume legislative session. mr. reid: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that we now proceed to a period of morning business and that senators are allowed to speak for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to calendar number 246, s. 1792. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar numbered 246, s. 1792, a bill to clarify the authority of the united states marshals service and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there being no intervening action or debate and that any statements related to this matter be placed in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i now ask we proceed to calendar numbered 233, s. 1793. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar 233, s.
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1793, a bill to amend title 28 united states code, and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i now ask the white house substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, there being no intervening action or debate, that any statements related to this matter be placed in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:
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the presiding officer: the. mr. reid. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent we proceed to h.r. 6223. the clerk: h.r. 6223, an act to amend section 1059-e of the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2006 to clarify that a period of employment abroad by the chief admission of united states forces as a translator, and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i now ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, many statements
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relating to this matter appear in the record at the appropriate place. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i now ask consent we proceed to s. res. 3687. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3687, a bill to amend the federal water pollution control act, and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i now ask that the bill be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, there being no intervening action or debate, that any related statements be printed at the appropriate place in the record as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to calendar number 236, h.r. 2076. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 236, h.r. 2076, an act to amend title 28 united states code to clarify the statutory authority, and so forth and for other purposes. mr. reid: i now ask -- the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure.
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mr. reid: sorry, madam president. i further ask the committee-reported amendments be considered, that the white house amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the substitute amendment as amended be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table with no intervening action or debate and any statements related to this matter be placed in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to s. res. 619. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 619, to elect patrick j. leahy, a senator from the state of vermont, to be president pro tempore, of the united states senate. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there being no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to consideration of s.j. res. 620 -- s. res. 620.
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the clerk: s. res. 620, to authorize harry reid, a senator from the state of nevada, to administer the oath of office of the president of the senate pro tempore ee to patrick j. leahy, a senator from the state of vermont. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there being no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to s. res. 621. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 621, condemning the horrific attacks in newtown, connecticut, and expressing support and prayers for all those impacted by that tragedy. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, that no intervening action or debate and any statements related to this matter be printed in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection.
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mr. reid: madam president, we understandably senator akaka wants to make a statement regarding the, our friend senator inouye who passed away. senator mccain has been waiting here for hours. so i'm asking consent that senator mccain be recognized to give a statement. when he completes that statement, senator akaka be recognized. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: i thank the majority leader. today the senate lost -- and america and especially his beloved citizens of hawaii lost a unique, brave, wonderful legislator today. a man who brought to this institution the most unique credentials that i would argue probably of anyone who's ever
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served in this pretty diverse body. dan inouye who was born of japanese parents, who came to hawaii as many japanese did in that period of time in the turn of the century to work in the pineapple fields and in the agriculture at that time that was a fundamental of the economy of the state of hawaii. their conditions were not good. they worked hard. but they raised their families with pride, with dignity and honor and were proud to call themselves americans. dan inouye was as proud as any. as we know, one of the most shameful chapters of american history took place during world war ii, an incredible act of
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injustice, the united states of america decided to intern japanese americans who lived in california. they were put into internment camps because they happened to be japanese americans. not because they had done anything wrong. not that they didn't love america. but because they happened to be japanese americans. by the way, some of those internment camps were in my home state of arizona. conditions weren't terrible, but they weren't good. people were incarcerated because they happened to be ethnic japanese. in hawaii was a group of young japanese americans who decided that they wanted to serve their country and they wanted to serve in uniform. so one of the most well-known and famous and the most highly decorated unit of the entire
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war, of world war ii was a battalion in which dan inouye served. they were in many of the most gruesome and difficult ballot -- blood lettings of the entire conflict. as american forces fought their way up through italy against a very well-trained, very well-equipped professional german opposition, dan inouye was a proud member of this battalion. and in fierce combat, dan inouye was gravely wounded on the battlefield. he was brought home. he was, as we all know, lost his arm in that -- as one of the wounds that he sustained. and interestingly and coincidentally, he went to a veterans hospital in chicago where a person in the same ward
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with also grievous wounds was another american army, actually second lieutenant who had also been wounded seriously in italy, one bob dole. second lieutenant bob dole of kansas. and there began a friendship that lasted to this day. both gravely wounded, both dedicated more than ever to serve their country. both served with distinction. and the friendship, the bonds of friendship that were forged in that hospital between bob dole and dan inouye were unique and enduring. so dan inouye returned back to his beloved hawaii, and the story goes -- and i don't know if it's true or not. the story goes that dan inouye
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went down to join the veterans organization, and when he applied for membership he was told that the only members they took in that organization were caucasian. dan inouye decided that he wanted to continue to serve his country in the state of hawaii. he was the first united states senator from the state of hawaii and served longer than any senator in this institution. he was loved by all of us. i didn't always agree with dan. occasionally we had differences about how we use appropriations bills. but no one -- no one -- ever, ever accused dan inouye of partisanship or unfairness. he loved native americans and he loved his hawaiians. one of the more rewarding periods of my time here in the senate was being on the indian
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affairs committee under his chairmanship. very important pieces of legislation came out of that committee, and it was a great honor for me to have the privilege to serve with dan inouye. he loved native americans. he knew that native americans had been wronged in our history. he knew that solemn treaties must be honored by our government, even if those treaties sometimes meant that there would be significant expenditure of america's tax dollars. have no doubt that our treatment of native americans and the treatment of native hawaiians is not the most glorious chapters in american history. when we look back at what happened to the proud native
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americans, native hawaiians as their collision collided with the -- with the civilization that came from the united states of america and around the world. dan inouye fought for the things he believed in and the principles that he held dear, and he held nothing more dear than the glory of being able to serve people who need to be served. dan inouye will be missed. there will not be another like him. there will not be another united states senator who literally was deprived of hits -- his rights. there will not be another united states senator that served at the length and the dedication that dan inouye served this senate and his beloved hawaii. so we'll all miss dan inouye,
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but we should all, i hope from time to time, with the bitter partisanship that exists from here sometimes in the united states senate, maybe we could use dan inouye's record of bipartisanship, of friendship, of a willingness to reach across the aisle and work with the other side, which characterized dan inouye's record here in the united states senate. for some reason, when i heard and thought about dan's passing today, i was reminded of another person who died and is buried on the island of somoa. and his poem was inscribed on his gravestone as an epitaph. i think it applies to our dear and beloved friend who passed today. it is by robert lewis stevenson
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-- and i quote -- "under the wide and starry sky dig the grave and let me die. glad did i live and gladly die. and i laid me down with a will. this be the verse engraved for me: here he lies where he longed to be. home is the sailor, home from the sea. and the hunter home from the hill." i suggest the -- i see my dear and beloved friend, the other senator from hawaii, danny akaka on the floor. i thank you, danny, and god bless.
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mr. akaka: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. akaka: madam president, it is very difficult for me to rise today with a heavy heart to bid aloha, aloha to my good friend, colleague and brother, dan inouye. it is hard for me to believe that the terrible news i received is true. senator inouye was a true patriot, an american hero in
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every sense. and he is at this time in hawaii , the greatest leader. he served his country as a soldier, receiving the highest honor our nation can bestow. when we think of how we began to serve -- of how he began to serve his nation, it is difficult to believe the difficulty they had in hawaii as japanese americans to be a part of our nation's military.
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they were denied. they were considered aliens of this country. but he was one of those that wanted to serve his country, and they went to the highest level to receive their dignity, and eventually they were given the honor to serve our country. and as we now know, they became the greatest unit in military history with the most decorations of any unit and also
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with the highest levels of decoration of the medal of honor he served as the leader, the third longest-serving member of the u.s. senate in our nation's history. he served as a defender of the people of this country, championing historic charges for civil rights, including the equal rights of women, asian americans, american -- african-americans and native hawaiians. it is an incredible understatement to call him an
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institution, but this chamber will never be the same without him. and i remember in our childhood in hawaii that hawaii is a diversified place. where i lived in paolo valley, there were many japanese families that lived around us, and there were many nights that i spent sleeping in the homes of our japanese families, ate their food, slept on their floor and really was brought up with the japanese families. so when
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the war broke out, i couldn't understand what was happening, because they were families that were removed from the community, and, of course, at that time the japanese american boys weren't allowed to be in the military. but they pursued it because they wanted to serve this country as well. and this is why in my time in congress i did focus on trying to help the japanese americans in this country, and the asians in this country as well, and to help them achieve what they really earned.
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and i remember seeking the medal of honor for the unit and for those who fought in world war ii , and i provided the pentagon with a hundred names from these units. and was really surprised that they were finally 21 of them that were selected for the medal of honor and senator inouye was one of them. but that showed that they were willing to give their lives for this country, and they did. and since then, he has continued to serve his country.
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we all used the g.i. bill to be educated. in hawaii we went to the university of hawaii and graduated there and went on to further degrees. and came back as, in a sense, those who could help the communities and became leaders in the communities. and in the case of dan inouye, they were the ones that turned the tide in hawaii, politically , and since 1954 and by 1959 we became a state, and senator inouye ran for office, was our first member of the
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house, and after one term moved to the senate because senator long decided to retire. and as a result, senator matsunaga was elected to the house and served the house and also the senate as well, and he also was a member of the 100th infantry during world war ii. but the japanese americans really served our country well, and dan inouye is one of those great leaders in the history of this country.
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through my career in congress, i have been proud to be on dan's team. we worked together on everything from appropriations to native hawaiian rights, to veterans and to defense. all of us in hawaii looked up to him, and we are so sad to see him go. dan inouye leaves behind him a list of accomplishments, unlikely to ever be parallelled. his lifelong dedication and hard work in the name of his beloved country, the united states of america, influenced every part of his life and set him apart, even in the senate.
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he was a fierce advocate as a senior member on several committees, and the way he conducted himself commanded respect from all whom he worked with. he legacy is not only the loving family that he leaves behind, it can be seen in every mile of every road in hawaii, in every nature preserve and every facility that makes hawaii a safer place. he fulfilled his dream of creating a better hawaii. he gave us access to the resources and facilities of the mainland states, i would say,
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took for granted. tomorrow will be the first day since hawaii became a state in 1959 that dan inouye will not be representing us in congress. every child born in hawaii will learn of dan inouye, a man who changed the islands forever. i join all the people of hawaii tonight in praying for his and daughter-in-law jessica, his stepdaughter, jennifer, and his granddaughter, maggie,
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that really tickled his life. whenever i had a chance to chat with him, we talked about maggie. and they brought him so much joy in this life and carries his legacy forward. i'm going to miss dan. so will all of us here in the senate and this great country will also. because he represented a true american and for us in hawaii, he represented a true hawaiian in hawaii. and he has served hawaii and
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this country well. dan and i have worked so well together all these years, and when i was in a house and appropriations committee there, we worked very well between the house and the senate, and many of the renovations that have come about in hawaii was because of dan. and he really helped to shape hawaii and this great country. but he brought here on earth a kind of life that people of our
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country and this world can follow and be great citizens of the world. dan, my dear friend and colleague, you will be missed in washington as much as you will be missed in hawaii. rest in peace. god bless you and your spirit. mr. president, i yield the floor.
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a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mrs. hagan: i ask unanimous consent the help committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 3472 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3472, a bill to amend the family educational rights and privacy act of 1974,
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to provide improvements to such act. the presiding officer: without objection. the committee is discharged. the senate will proceed to the measure. mrs. hagan: i further ask that the landrieu substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed at the appropriate place in the record as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. hagan: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it recesses until 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, december 18, 2012, that following the prayer and pledge, the journal be approved to date, and that the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day. that following any leader remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business for one hour, with senators
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permitted to speak therein up to ten minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees with the majority controlling the first half and the republicans controlling the final half. and that following morning business the senate resume consideration of h.r. 1, the legislative vehicle for the emergency supplemental appropriations bill. finally, that the senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. hagan: if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask that it recess under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands in recess until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
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>> the legislation grants funding for fema's disaster relief fund. the debate continues this week. also today, to judicial nominations for district courts in california and illinois. also, negotiations continuing efforts to avoid the fiscal cliff. if no agreement can be reached between congress and the white house, tax increases and cuts began to take place in january. follow the summit live here on c-span2 one members gavel back in on tuesday. also today, the u.s. senate lost a member. daniel in a way daniel inouye. he was the chairman of the senate appropriations committee.
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he was 80 years old. >> the challenges we want to be on every divide for every person on every hour of the day. we are a mobile society. so the challenge is to make sure that we are on ipods and computers and phones, as was the traditional view, which is in the living room, now on a wonderful definition! high-definition television screen. the other challenge that we have is the spectrum is a finite resource and others want that resource. yet, there is not enough spectrum in the universe to do all the video by broadband. our architecture versus bears, which is one to one, their situations were always
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transmitting one-to-one. remark. >> "the communicators", tonight on c-span2 to >> "q&a" airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. with ann applebaum here on c-span2. tuesday on "washington journal", john fund discusses the mass shooting at an elementary school in connecticut.
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more about gun control with allyson schwartz. she will also talk about the house legislative agenda and ways to avoid the fiscal cliff. and after that, marcia howard on the impact sequestration could have on the streets. plus your e-mails and phone calls and tweet. >> c-span asked viewers for their reaction on school shooting in vermont undreamt connecticut. >> people kill people. guns do not kill people if the people that use them. >> i understand that the second amendment was put in place. i am quite sure that this
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country was not thinking about assault weapons and things like that. >> this boy, this man of 20 or so, he did not have a solid father figure in his life, which he should have. there is so many of that going on in the country today. it is disgusting. >> i am a former psychiatric nurse. i saw ronald reagan close all the hospitals in california and the mental institutions and there is just not enough done for the mentally ill. i am getting rid of my guns. my husband was a police officer, and i am betting that i don't have the need for his guns and i don't think it worked very well
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for the teacher either. >> the whole problem is if you study all of these people who have done all these killings, they have been taking troxel or prozac, the whole pharmaceutical industry. and they have 50% of the kids in school taking prozac. and they are creating these monsters. >> they say it is your personality and temperament. if you have a temperament that is sure, don't carry weapons. that is why i don't carry a weapon. irb know that i have a short fuse. so when they come and talk about that, i could go down and buy as many weapons as i want because they don't have a criminal record. >> schools should be a drug-free
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zone. whether it is troxel or ritalin or whatever. you can't find a school shooting without a kid that was raised on these drugs. >> the consequences of taking these guns out, and it just becomes part of the culture. >> my solution to the problem is that we are going to have two -- we will have to arm the innocent.
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we need to armor neighborhoods, our citizens who are capable of handling these automatic weapons and let the criminal element and mental element no. >> in israel they have m-16s and the markers of the schools. basically, the solution should be our belief that, you know, we need to gun down these terrorists. we have gun free schools in most communities. you know, we have just been fighting terrorist. we spend billions of dollars in airport security and allowing the schools to be without police officers. we don't allow teachers to carry guns in most districts. >> i don't think that arming teachers and the school is a good idea. that seems like a pretty
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irrational solution. you can write all the moss that you want to put all the thomas on the books that you want. but i think there are over 30,000 of them right now currently. you are not going to stop what happened by writing more gun laws. in order to stop this and all the terrible stuff, you're going to have to do a lot more for the family unit in this country. because the family unit is so broken up it is pathetic. i think every school in the united states should have a police officer stationed at each school. it should be funded by the federal government or the federal government should do something and they need to step up and put an officer in every school. >> i have been calling in about those who want to put a
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policeman in every school but country. there are a million schools in this country. you will find a million well-trained and you know, competent policemen who can stand eight or 10 hours on school everyday. but you can pay them that much. it is a lot better to find a competent social worker. >> barack obama is being very hypocritical. the senator of illinois who has one of the worst gang murders in the country. everyday the every day the united states -- i live in miami. and miami is one of the worst crises in the country. the only thing that i hear is that every time a white kid
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comes on the tv, it's national news and big news. >> one question to be answered is whether or not anyone can put forth a good reason to have these guns. give me an example of a time when it has come in handy and then a great thing. when it has worked for the benefit of someone or a group of people. it leaves the people unable to protect themselves from its radical government. that is the purpose of the second amendment.
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>> esparza sullivan spoke on the need to be banned. >> this needs to change. >> back in the day, you can order direct mail as long as you're checkweigher, they would send you a semiautomatic magazine fed pistol or rifle directly to your post office box. the gun laws have changed. i defy anyone who looks at the school shootings of 1968 were prior. >> when you have gun free zones, you advertise to these mentally ill people that there is nobody there that is armed. and nobody can stop an intruder
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with a gun. >> the access are too much. especially on young children. >> again, hawaii senator daniel. >> has died at the age of 88 years old. he had been in the senate since 1962. >> welcome to the latest capital historical society series of oral history interviews. my name is ron sarazen and i am president of the united states capitol of the historical society.
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memories that have shaped the public careers of these senators. it is hoped that this will provide listeners with a deep appreciation for the human dimension of representative government we know as the united states capitol. senator daniel k. inoye was named after a methodist minister. in march 1943, he enlisted in the only second regimental combat team. he saw combat in italy and southern france and was badly wounded during an engagement for which he was awarded the distinguished service cross, which was later upgraded to the medal of honor. the highest award for military valor. with financial assistance from
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the g.i. bill, inouye graduated from the university of hawaii and the george washington university law school. when hawaii became a state on august 21, 1959, daniel inouye won elections for the united states house of representatives is the new states first congressman. later collected the united states senate in 1962, he currently is serving his eighth term in the united states senate. in our earlier interview is in the series, other people we have spoken to have talked about the first time they were sworn in as a member of congress. in 1959, he became the first member from hawaii. what was that like when you were first on the floor of the house of representatives? >> i have never been on the floor of the chamber, and so it
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was an awesome experience for me to be among a multitude of jobs and be sworn in. it was a simple ceremony. >> when they come to washington, they find a senior member usually they take them under their wing. was there anyone you look too at that time in the early days? >> there were several. one was then the chairman of the full committee, the chairman took over.
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and holding what to do and what to get and what to buy. the speaker of the house, on the first day, i found myself in my office all by myself just finishing. i didn't don't know where the speaker's office was. but in august it was a hot day. i got to see him, and believe it or not, the speaker gave me a tour of the capital.
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he was the tour guide. he showed me and he said that you are paying 25 cents, but you can afford to give him a tip. it is the barbershop in the bank, and he said that is what i have foresee, and this is where you'll set. and i am the speaker and i will address you as the gentleman from hawaii. he said i can't pronounce her name. [laughter] we got to be good friends. we got invited to the texas table because we had no table for hawaii in the dining room.
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the pennsylvania fellows and all the other fellows were very good to me. senator akaka, world war ii was an important event in their lives and in your life as well. you served in the most highly decorated unit in the history of the united states army. can you tell us what you learn from that experience, and how did that experience impactor public career? >> there are certain things that haunt me, even to this day. and that is that working change a person's character and personality. one might be content and say i am a good person. for example, one week before i got into the service and put on my uniform, i was a sunday school teacher.
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and my mother was a devout methodist. part of the women's christian union. you don't get any more devout than that. the whole bunch of them were that way. and then going overseas, i recall killing the first german. the thing that haunts me is that i was jubilant. i was proud. the fellows around me had me on the back and said, terrific, terrific. i just killed a human being. and to think that working change a person so drastically, it has been with me all the time or it when it comes to going into war, i am very cautious here. for example, i'm against giving
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the president the authorization to make a strike on iraq. because i didn't think that was a war that was fully justified. and it was not a war that we were prepared for. >> let's talk about how you got involved in politics and public service. when did you decide to enter public service, and had your previous experiences and education prepared you for that? >> as a young boy, i shattered my arm, a compound fracture. and i was deeply impressed by the orthopedic surgeon who fixed it up. from then on, i decided that my goal in life was to become someone like him. an orthopedic surgeon.
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not just a surgeon, but an orthopedic surgeon. and so then i studied. when i got into college, the first semester, i went into premed. but then i got old enough to volunteer. when i became a teen, i volunteered to when i was on my final leg and was wounded and lost my arm, i couldn't be an orthopedic surgeon, although my professors try to convince me to stay in medicine in some other field. but i decided something else. and in those days, the military gave you a whole series of examinations, written and otherwise.
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it is something that involves a lot of people. for example, i knew i wanted to either be a teacher or a social worker, a minister, or perhaps a politician. >> that is an interesting combination. >> i checked out teacher and social worker, and they were getting paid $125 a month in hawaii. and i said, forget that. you can't raise yourself on that. and the ministry, i felt it was not for me because i have sinned too much. although my mother thought that i would be fabulous. that left political activity. and i must confess, i took a look at it. when i got into the hospital in michigan, one of the fellows
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that i met there was bob dole. and we became good friends, even to this day. and i asked him, what are your plans? nt, without hesitating, he said that i'm going to be a county clerk and after that i will run for the state house. that is where i'm going. and i figure that is a good idea. [laughter] i go to law school, i become the assistant prosecutor. when the territorial office became available, i ran for that office. and then i got to congress. a little ahead of bob. [laughter] >> you are in the territorial legislature then? >> two terms in the house and part of the chair of the senate.
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>> and then you came here to the house. who did you come here with a time? >> only one member. >> you mentioned senator dole. the fact that you had been in the hospital with him in michigan. it is amazing that some of these friendships were formed long before any public service, it is talked about being a friend of, excuse me, the senator from wyoming, al simpson. meeting him when he was a boy scout. meeting him together. and you have a relationship with bob dole's. >> the other one is still hot. and all three senators were in
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office about the same time. >> yes, that is amazing. senator, you were in the territorial legislature when hawaii was about to become a state. what helped to prompt upon that decision and what was the campaign might in an area that had never experienced a campaign before. >> well, to be first in anything is a great experience. you don't know what the rules are. my first campaign, this may shock you, it cost $15,000 in congress. this was the inaugural campaign. i had a budget of $4000 for workers. and i got a contribution
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totaling $5000. and i was astounded that people who contribute big sums. but i accepted them, and we ran on a budget of 15,000. my campaign for the senate cost me 60,000 the first time. and i won't tell you what my opponents and, but he spent many times more than i did. when hawaii became a state, the party leaders suggested that i should run for the senate. which i did. then, about two weeks later, two elder statesmen, soldiers of the party decided to run. one was a very distinguished
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member of the legal fraternity. the other had served as lieutenant governor. social services director, education director. and so i withdrew. because that is the way i was brought up, to respect my elders. and they noted that. so the man who was elected for the short-term, he said i will finish this term and i will retire. and he told the people to vote for me, and i ran for the senate in 1962. and there i am. >> at that time, of course, you mentioned that running for the senate was not a different area for you.
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>> it was the same area. >> was a difficult at that time to run in the hawaiian islands? >> it was much more interesting. because today you can literally campaign in honolulu because you have television and radio, and you have dvds and i would rather go to these little islands and campaign in little villages. that, to me, it was exciting. i still do my best whenever time permits to go to these places.
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there are people there who are my constituents, and i wanted to see them and report to them what is happening here. and i realized that i could make more hay and some school auditorium, but i get my kicks out of that. >> in your senatorial career, you have accomplished a great deal. book a couple of the most important congressional investigations in recent history, you were involved in the watergate committee, and in the iran contra hearings. he you mentioned you had been a prosecutor before you came to the house. how much has that background in service on those committees
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formed your thoughts regarding public service and the country? >> well, my service as assistant prosecutor didn't mean too much. but one thing that impressed me was in this land, no one is above the law. in other places, if you are the king or the emperor were the dictator, you are above the law. you make the law. but the united states is the president who has to answer for these deeds and misdeeds. that really impressed me. you've read about it in books. to see it in operation is something else. the other thing that impressed me about these hearings was the awesome power of the media and television, especially.
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up until then, i was totally unknown, other than hawaii, which is 1% of the population. after watergate, i began receiving hundreds of thousands of letters. in one day mr. gallo visited me and said according to the latest poll, the most recognizable person is the president of the united states. and guess who's next to him? and he said that you look different. [laughter] that the media can be powerful. >> one of the important issues facing the nation today is balancing the need for national
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security while protecting civil rights and maintaining the freedoms that are nation churches. what is your perspective on the current situation? >> maintaining security and our freedoms is absolutely essential. but to do that at the expense of destroying human rights and civil rights is not acceptable. if it is so severe that we are on the verge of war, the people should beware that certain things are going to happen. in our happening. if we are going to tap telephones, i think the people of the united states should be made aware who we are tapping and why we are tapping. it shouldn't be done in the cover of darkness. >> we were first elected to represent hawaii in the house, and then you have been in the senate since 1963.
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of your many legislative accomplishments, the couple were the native hawaiian education act and the native hawaiian health care act. tell us about those, and why they were most important to you. >> i suppose it was back to my mother. because my mother was an orphan at the age of four years old. her parents were plantation workers and were gone. at that moment, there is no social services in the territory of hawaii. so she was literally out in the streets. along came a young hawaiian couple who took her hand and took her home. that is the way to do it. and she lived with him as an adopted child for a happier and she never forgot that. and she always reminded me what gentle and compassionate people the hawaiians are. as a result, there have been
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times when they have been exploited and taken advantage of. and so we must do our best to protect them. when i became a politician, hawaiians were on the bottom of this social and economic and political ladder. and i did my best to see that they were provided with with the basic necessities, like education and health. over and above are providing. they lived in the slums. they lived in the equivalent of reservations.
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>> in your recent book, the authors argue that it has undermined confidence in the public institution as well as the ability to perform its constitutional role. how would you compare your experience in congress with congress today? have you noticed an increasing partisanship? the lack of camaraderie? has that hinder the ability of congress to legislate, and what do you see as the solution, assuming there is a problem, what dc is the solution to the problem? >> at times i would like to describe it as two different worlds. the world that i was introduced to in 1959, it was a world in which the debates were loud and clear. and after the debates were over, the men would get together for a
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smoke or drink and visit each other, discuss problems, and it is something that is very common -- them being friends with the of the opposite party. i have tried my very best to be as nonpartisan as i can be. and today it is no secret. one of my best buddies is from alaska and he is a republican. ted stevens. and i like them. we don't agree. in fact, according to the record , i think we disagree about 70% of the time. but as we agree upon, if we
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disagree, let's not be disagreeable. that makes a big difference. when we disagree, we disagree and we explained why we do so. but when we agree, we work together and as a result, the production of these committees, you can see the difference. we are very productive. in fact, the appropriations bill, the last six years, it passed unanimously. >> it's almost as if people get elected thinking they are supposed to dislike the person on the outside and they don't even know them.
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[inaudible] arguing and then going to dinner >> this is the land of immigrants. it is not europe, it is not asia. it is not africa. but it is a common action of all. the rest of us are foreigners. sometimes we forget that. >> what dc is a potential solution? >> i think those of us that get old they can demonstrate what the nonpartisanship could result
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in. those that serve on our committees get the message. >> with your committee and relationship with ted stevens is the politics have changed over the years and the democrats are in control, and never seems to make that much of a difference on your committee as far as the ability to produce great results. >> [inaudible] if you go in that state and say nasty things about him, he won't forget it.
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>> our final question is the latest the question. over and above the things you have accomplished, or have yet to accomplish, how would you like to be remembered? >> this may sound foolish, but i just want people to know that i tried my best. >> senator, thank you very much. >> this program with senator inouye took place in 2008. he died earlier today at the age of 88 after serving since 1963 in the u.s. senate. he was the second longest senator serving behind robert byrd of west virginia. after his death was reported, senators harry reagan mitch mcconnell came to the floor to speak. here is a look. >> mr. president, i rise with ah very heavy heart.
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our friend, dan inouye just aon died. i have never kndeown anyone like dan inouye. no one has. the kindness that he has shown me for my time here in the senate is something that i will cherish always. a man who the has lived and rebd the senate. he was a patriot. a week ago, a week ago last o friday, we spent some time together in his office, just the two of us alone. we spent an hour together., you and we ended the meeting by saying that we both need to do this again. a
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well, i won't be able to do thaa again, and he won't be able toga do that again. a wonderful senator, a brave soldier. i gote star, purple heart, [inaudible] he was shot in the leg a couplen of times. w we will all miss him. tha that is a gross understatement. i wish i were capable of saying
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more.t that is all i can say. i talked to his wife, irene. we knew s for a few hours but ts wasn't working out well with senatore is inouye. the but he's certainly one of the giants of the situation was the children. nat he loved children. his commitment toio our nation.e it will never be surpassed. his service in the senate will
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be the great of this body. now, i could ask my friend who i wishes to speak on thisss issue. it would be my hope that the two votes that are scheduled, passed the senate to approve the. >> without objection, so ordered. >> i think that >> i think i'm going to addresse the remarkable life of senatorfa inouye at a later time. i did want to make some
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observations o here for this moment at the time of hisely cad passing.ti he was aon man, who as we all know, rarely called attention ty himself.rd the he was a true hero. fly he was only 17 years old when he saw the great planes flyinger a overhead in honolulu and heard the sirens. at the time he dreamed of being a surgeon. a few years later, a medic would be taking care of him after his heroic actions in the italian mountains.n' for which you would whens they r receive our nation's most prestigious award for militaryla valor. his dream of being a surgeon was not other things in store. instead he became a member of u. one of the most decorated military units in american history. longes

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